


Are you afraid of the Dark?

by RandomWriting789



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fear, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Nyctophobia, Protective Catra (She-Ra), Scared Adora (She-Ra), This couple will be the death of me, fear of the dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:41:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29667453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomWriting789/pseuds/RandomWriting789
Summary: Every 10 years, the moons disappear completely from Brightmoon's sky due to the planetary movement of Etheria. This leaves the Moonstone completely dead for 13 hours, during which all lights in the entire kingdom go out and only pitch black darkness is visibleGlimmer and Bow can survive the night perfectly well, it's only pure darkness for awhile. But Adora isn't looking forward to this in the slightest, luckily, she has Catra there
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 116





	Are you afraid of the Dark?

**Author's Note:**

> This one goes kinda off the rails and I literally only wrote it to vent without angsting out since we all need some wholesome Catradora in our lives. Again, this work is literally only for fun, I tried to make the logistics good, but it's up to you guys to judge

Adora and Catra walked into Glimmer's room to find a full bunker being set up

Glimmer was laying in bed, already in her nightdress, her crown set aside

Bow was running back and forth, bringing all their favorite foods from the kitchens and piling them on one of the tables. He had all his arrows out and looked like he was ready to head into war again, despite the war being over for three months now

''Uhhh, what happened here?'' Catra questioned ''You guys going into solitary or something?'' She only saw people stockpiling rations like this in the Horde

''Something like that'' Glimmer smiled, sitting up ''Entrapta said it's happening tonight, I've sent an alert through town, hopefully we can get through it without any injuries''

''What's happening tonight?'' Adora questioned as she sat down on the chair next to the bed

Bow's voice was higher pitched then usual, a telltale sign that he was nervous ''Entrapta said that Brightmoon's Dark hours are happening tonight'' he began stocking on water bottles

''Dark hours?'' Catra raised an eyebrow as she pulled up another chair next to Glimmer's bed

''Y'know, the Night of Curses? When Brightmoon goes blind? Ever heard any of those?'' Bow said nervously

Both Adora and Catra glanced at each other ''No?''

''Didn't they happen in the Fright Zone?'' Glimmer asked ''10 years ago?''

Adora shook her head ''We weren't allowed in the outer grounds most nights and the timings were always weird''

''Plus, you still haven't told us what they are?'' Catra added

''Well, basically- Bow you can stop pacing -The Etherian Moons disappear from the sky once every 10 years, it happens at a different time in every kingdom but the gist is that we all get 13 hours of total darkness'' She explained casually

Catra shrugged ''Doesn't seem like a big deal, lights exist y'know, no wonder we never saw it in the Fright Zone''

Bow shook his head ''Without the moons, the Moonstone powers down for 13 hours until the morning, like it did when the Heart activated'' Glimmer looked away at that comment ''The waterfalls all stop working and since the lights here are powered by it, they go out too. I guess it's different everywhere else since usually they make their own lights but Brightmoon just relies on the stone and its magic''

Adora's eyes widened ''Wait...so the castle...but then Glimmer-''

Glimmer shrugged ''I'm confined to the bed for the next 13 hours since my body's gonna react weirdly to all the fatigue without magic, Bow's here to take care of things, the castle's gonna be completely dark so whatever you do, don't leave your room''

Bow began arranging all the food he piled ''And there's also the monsters-''

''Bow'' Glimmer said warningly

''There were 20 sightings in Mystacor last time! And we're counting 10 more after yesterday!'' His voice had gotten so high it cracked

She rolled her eyes ''They aren't even real''

''What isn't real?'' Catra asked as Adora looked away, she seemed to have completely zoned out

Glimmer scoffed ''Bow's under the impression that monsters come out in the dark to terrorize people in Mystacor''

''Monsters?'' Adora's head snapped up

''The sightings all say they're wispy, glow a little and have something red on them, there's no spell that can make those though so it's probably just a myth, Bow freaked out a ton when he was 10 and the last dark hours happened, his brothers probably heard the reports told him to scare him'' Glimmer added, smirking at Bow

''It wasn't to scare me! There was a whole investigation into who conjured the monsters in Mystacor!'' Bow's voice cracked

Catra sat back leisurely ''Seems stupid to me, plus, I can see in the dark so this'll be a piece of cake'' Her catlike eyes meant she could always see even when it was pitch black darkness

''Glad to hear'' Glimmer yawned

''I...I think I should be heading to bed'' Adora got up abruptly, turning away

''I'll start stockpiling and join you'' Catra smiled ''say...where _do_ those cookies come from'' 

''second drawer on the left in the kitchens. The hours should start in 15 minutes'' Glimmer reminded her as she walked out

Catra could sense it getting steadily darker as she left

* * *

Around half an hour later, Catra was dragging a bag of food into her and Adora's room

It wasn't much, a platter of cupcakes, two of Adora's favorite granola bars. some cookies and water bottles to last them the long night. She pushed her back against the door to open it and lay everything on Adora's desk, turning to the door and locking it. This was almost like one of their sleepovers as kids

''Y'know, you could've at least helped me get this stuff before total darkness'' she complained playfully as she neared the bed, her eyes widened a little ''Adora?''

Adora was buried underneath the blanket, shaking uncontrollably and whimpering, Catra had never heard that noise come out of her, it set off like a million alarms in her head. She ran around the side of the bed, where Adora was facing 

''Hey, hey what's wrong? What happened?'' She asked as she bent down and slowly lifted the blanket off Adora's face

She was curled up in a fetal position, practically hugging her knees and shivering, She couldn't see a thing, but it was all visible to Catra. She could see the blotchiness of her eyes, the tears soaked over her face, her lip trembling, her eyes scrunched shut. It must be easier for Adora to act like this since she thought no one could see her, but Catra could see it all

''Princess? It's me, I'm right here, did something happen?'' She raised her voice a little, desperate to bring Adora out of this attack

Adora gasped ''C-Catra?''

''It's okay, I'm here, see?'' she pressed her palm to Adora's cheek

Adora flinched and cried out, scampering away until she fell off the bed with a loud 'thump'

''Adora!'' Catra yelled in shock, Adora acted like her touch had burned her

She ran around the bed again, only to find Adora curled up in that same position, whimpering to herself, she felt even more vulnerable without the blanket. Catra had barely ever seen her this terrified- that's a lie- Catra had seen her like this partially when she was chipped, but even then, Adora was ready to fight, she was strong, she was determined. Now, she was just a shaking heap on the floor, clinging to herself in fear

''Adora...'' She fell to her knees next to her, unsure about touching her again ''Adora, hey, snap out of it, please''

''N-no'' Adora begged ''I'm not going back, please''

''Adora, no one's making you go anywhere, snap out of it, everything's okay, I promise'' She soothed, pulling herself away every time she tried to touch her

''Stop it!'' Adora cried ''Stop pretending! you're not her, y-you're not real''

''Whose not real? Adora I-'' Catra tried again

''Stop using her voice!'' Adora sprung back, now in a sitting position with her back to the wall, she'd unknowingly slammed into it

She was holding her head in her hands as Catra approached again

Catra needed a goal, if she could get Adora to touch her without springing away, maybe she'd calm down, she had to find a way to make Adora believe she was here. ''Adora...'' She tried as she sat in front of her

Adora choked out another strangled cry, seeing her like that broke Catra's heart

''Adora, I know you're scared, but I need you to reach out your hand'' She requested, hoping the blonde wouldn't panic more. She looked up at her, weak and confused, she couldn't even see her

''You _just_ need to reach your hand out, and I'll be there, the real me, I promise'' She tried. Adora was frozen, as if she was trying to decide if it was _her_ Catra speaking or not, she lifted her hand, slowly inching it forward

''Good, good, you're almost there, babe, almost there'' She nodded profusely. Adora's hand had strayed off center so Catra shifted her head, her large, fluffy ear landing in Adora's palm

As if on instinct, her hand got into that same position it did when it scratched her behind the ears, her palm evened out, grappling slightly to Catra's hair. Her eyes widened ''C-Catra?''

Catra smiled, placing her hand over Adora's so she wouldn't pull away ''Yeah, it's me, I know you can't see me but I'm here''

Adora surged forward, she needed to feel Catra there, pressed against her again, she needed to hear her purring, her heartbeat, anything to know she was with her in this dark, desolate, dangerous world. Catra welcomed her into her arms, pulling her to her chest as she practically broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Clawed fingers raked through her soft, silky hair, another hand rubbing circles on her back. Catra purred as Adora's head lay on her chest, she could feel every small vibration, she could feel her there, the real her, not an illusion made by the shadows

And then it hits her, she just had a total breakdown in front of Catra, she probably just messed something up in her own weird panic, she wasn't supposed to break down like this, Catra shouldn't have to deal with her irrational fears. ''I-I'm sorry'' she said on instinct

Catra pulled away a little, but made sure to keep her grasp on Adora, she wasn't letting her go again ''It's nothing to be sorry about, c'mon, lets get you to bed and then we can talk all about it''

For someone considered small and scrawny, Catra was pretty strong. She lifted Adora into her arms with ease, hobbling across the room the place her back on the bed. Adora wrapped her arms around Catra's neck, scrunching her eyes shut, even more apologies swirling on her tongue, and every time Catra would tell her it's okay

Catra placed her on the bed, pausing to wrap the blanket over her shoulders so she felt secure again ''I'm sor-'' she tried again

Catra took her hand, letting their fingers intertwine ''Princess, you really need to let other people take care of you for once'' she slowly leaned them both against the headboard, pulling Adora to her chest again, purring to stop her from trembling

She was safe, buried underneath the blanket, and Catra's arms. It was quiet and cold outside, but she was warm and protected. Adora didn't think she could hate herself more, the amount she'd bothered Catra tonight. She was She-Ra, she was meant to be an unmovable pillar of strength, and yet there she was, afraid of the dark of all things. No one should see her like this, she shouldn't _be_ like this, and now Catra was here, running her fingers through her hair as she trembled and shook, she was so _weak_

''What happened back there?'' Catra asked softly

Adora tried dismissing it ''N-nothing, I just don't like the dark''

Catra scoffed ''I think I know that by now'' She kissed the top of her head ''but you were saying alot of weird things, that wasn't the dark playing tricks on you''

Adora had been backed into a corner ''I- that's not-''

Catra began undoing her already messy ponytail ''You don't have to be strong all the time, it's okay for you to be scared''

The blonde shuddered ''I'm She-Ra, I'm not supposed to be scared of anything''

Catra rolled her eyes ''No, you're Adora, and Adora is a human being with human feelings, if you're gonna start going off about protecting the universe, then at least let me protect you'' She pressed her head to Adora's

''but, what good is Adora if she can't even fight the dark on her own?'' The blonde regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth, she wasn't supposed to say that, she wasn't supposed to let that out. Catra's hand tensed, her breathing wasn't as relaxed as it was a second ago. Adora wanted to look up at her, but this stupid darkness made it impossible to see her at all. She didn't want to leave the warmth, comfort, and safety she felt for a second, so she simply hugged Catra tighter, hoping she wouldn't move

Catra looked down at her. Adora's eyes were open, as if she was contemplating what she just said, her arms had looped around her and were hugging tightly, ''Adora, you...'' she tried, not knowing where to start. Adora's head still remained secure in her lap,

Catra's voice began to quaver ''You're so much more than that, you're smart and strong and beautiful and...you're everything to me'' She began sifting through her hair again ''You could be the weakest person in the universe, and I'd still feel the same way, if you're scared of the dark, then I'll be here to protect you until it's gone''

Adora's body quivered slightly, ''Y-you promise?''

''I promise'' Catra sunk a little lower so Adora's head was at her chest again, she kissed her forehead in an effort to remind her that she's here. ''So...what's in the dark that scares you?''

Adora tensed again ''What?''

Catra shrugged ''you were a little scared of it when we were kids but...did something else happen?''

Adora's eyes widened a little ''You remember that?''

Catra giggled, there was a soft rumble in her chest ''Course' I do, you'd ask me to stay closer to you when the lights got too dim'' She stroked her fingers through her scalp

''I guess that hasn't changed'' she mumbled, slightly squeezing Catra in her embrace

Catra hummed in agreement ''You said alot of weird things back there, something about my voice and pretending, is there anything in there that's scaring you, princess?'' Catra asked quietly

Adora never wanted to break like this, the moment she'd hid under that blanket, she'd affirmed she wouldn't bring this up at all. Catra had been doing so well these past three months, and they'd...talked about Shadow Weaver before, she wanted to just put the matter to rest already. But now Catra was here, holding her in her arms while she was at her most vulnerable, lovingly carding her fingers through her hair, whispering words of love and support, and now asking her so goddamn _sweetly_ about what was really troubling her

How much did she tell this girl she loved her again?

Adora took a deep breath and tried not to cry any more than she already had, she took a deep breath ''Sh-shadow Weaver'' she started

Catra's ear twitched, she was glad Adora couldn't see it. _Of course,_ of course it was that slimy old witch who had gotten Adora to freak out this much, Catra's grip around her tightened, whatever it was involving Shadow Weaver, she wasn't scared anymore, she'd do everything in her power to protect Adora from her this time

''B-back in Mystacor, she sent her Shadow Spies after me once...and when it was all dark, she showed up and- and she tried to bring me back, she kept using your voice, and she started to hurt everyone else I cared about. She said the usual stuff...but it was different, and then she tried to take me away'' she wasn't gonna be able to beat them if they got her again, the idea of them returning scared her to death

Catra was horrified, she vaguely remembered Shadow Weaver doing something like that a few months after Adora had left. She remembered standing guard outside, that hag had used her magic and _Catra's_ voice to torture her, to force her back. ''She's gone now, she won't be able to...''

''I know'' Adora was trying so hard not to let tears escape her ''B-but what if her magic is still left? what if she somehow sent something after us? What if- what if she still-'' She was aware she was being irrational, but sometimes she could swear she felt someone in the dark watching her, and now it was totally dark, she could physically materialize and hurt people she cared about

Catra suddenly realized ''So when I touched you...you thought it was her?'' it made sense, Catra had placed her hand on her cheek the way Shadow Weaver used to, it wasn't a stretch to believe Adora thought it was her

Adora quietly nodded, still clinging to her ''I thought she was using your voice again...to trick me''

''I'm here this time, the real me'' Catra comforted her ''I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, I promise'' and she meant it with every fiber of her being, she was never gonna let Shadow Weaver hurt her again

''Catra...'' Adora's voice cracked ''I'm scared...''

She sounded like she did when she was little. When the scariest things she came across were spooky stories and meaner cadets. That same, unfiltered innocence played a part here, except now she wasn't just imagining a scary monster, she was remembering one of the most terrifying moments of her life. Catra hated seeing her like this, she hated seeing her so afraid, she wished she could swipe her claws through whatever was troubling her, she wished she could tear it and rip it to shreds and force it to leave her princess alone. All she could do was hold her close and promise to protect her until the darkness died

''She- she wanted to take me away from here, she hurt them because of me-'' Adora added as she recalled every detail

''Shhh, no one's gonna get hurt I promise, I'm here, I won't let her near you, just stick with me, okay? We'll stay together until it's morning, and then we'll take a day off, we'll have as much fun as we want to'' She planned, trying to change the subject ''We can go out in disguises again, we can go to your favorite spot in town and dance at the square tomorrow night''

Adora was at her shoulder now, crying slightly into the crook of her neck, she couldn't hold herself back anymore ''Mhmm'' She hummed anxiously

''Oh... _Princess_ '' Catra was fully laying down now, pressing soft kisses to Adora's forehead and temple as her hands wiped her tears again ''I love you, okay? I love you so much''

''I-I know I need to stop but-'' Adora hated breaking down again, one time was enough

''No, no you don't, you have to let it out, it's okay for you to cry'' She added, the last thing she wanted to do was prevent Adora from expressing her emotions

Adora cried her heart out, all her built up fear and trauma spilling no matter how much she tried to contain it. Catra knew this was something she needed, she needed a safe space where she was free to be vulnerable and let her feelings out

She eventually finally fell asleep, and Catra covered her with a blanket again, still holding her securely in her arms

''I love you'' she repeated

They were about 8 hours in now, Adora had been asleep for the past 6 hours

Catra stayed awake, was it stupid to say she was scared too? She had an advantage this time, at least she could see. It must be way more difficult for Adora, to only navigate with her hearing and touch, especially when she couldn't even trust her own senses. The prospect, even the idea of Shadow Weaver or her minions still being out there was terrifying, and while Catra had gotten better at expressing her fear 

Anyway, she almost felt like someone was watching her, watching _them_. She could see darker patches sometimes in her peripheral vision, but it felt like the night playing tricks on her. Shadow Weaver had traumatized them both, badly. To this day she'd sometimes do a double-take when Scorpia used her powers or when Glimmer used a spell, or when lightning struck on rare occasions. And every time, Adora was there to hold her hand or hug her tightly or kiss her on the cheek and tell her everything's gonna be okay. She'd do her best to do the same for her tonight

She was hoping tonight would be fun, camping out in their room until the first streaks of daylight broke, eating food, telling stories and giggling. And now she was sat here, holding Adora, who was frozen in absolute fear. Of all the things she expected to see when she entered the room, the gut wrenching sight of Adora crying under the covers tore her apart

Adora twitched in her sleep, and Catra immediately worked on calming her again. They'd have fun tomorrow, she was committed to that. She didn't care what stupid responsibilities they had, she'd deal with them and take Adora on one of the best dates of her life, and by the time they were done, she'd have forgotten all about tonight

Catra yawned

To tell the truth, she was insanely sleepy too, but the last thing she wanted was for Adora to wake up to pitch black darkness and freak out again. Maybe she could take a small cat nap during the day, that sounded nice. Right now, her girlfriend was the only thing that mattered

Speaking of her girlfriend, she was starting to wake up now

Catra watched her eyes blink open in confusion, she watched her squint around to try and see, she watched the panic and dread start sweeping through her

''Hey, hey, it's okay, I'm still here'' She shushed her

''I-I still can't see you'' She croaked

Catra adjusted her grasp on her ''You were out for six hours, we've got five left until the morning moons come out''

''You sound tired...'' Adora said groggily ''did you get any sleep?''

Catra shrugged ''Not really, maybe a little here and there''

Adora's eyes widened ''You stayed up all night?!''

Catra shrugged again ''I said I'd protect you, didn't I?''

''Catra!'' She said indignantly ''You should've slept, it's not healthy-''

''Says the person who was panicking the moment she woke up'' Catra rolled her eyes ''Relax, Princess, I'm okay as long as you're okay''

Adora sighed and relented, laying back in Catra's arms, arguing with this girl was pointless ''You still shouldn't have to stay up for me''

''You'd do the same for me'' Catra reminded her

''That's-...different'' Adora tried ''I just don't wanna be a burden on you''

''Adora'' Catra affirmed ''You're _not_ a burden, take that back right now''

''Catra-''

''Just say it'' she nearly hissed

Adora took a deep breath ''Okay, I'm. not. a. burden.''

''Good'' Catra nodded in approval ''I said I was gonna take care of you tonight and that's exactly what I'm gonna do, so you just sit back and relax, okay?''

She grabbed a bottle of water from their side table. She'd stashed the food there knowing she wouldn't be able to get up later. She didn't want to leave Adora for a second. The moment she got up, she was almost sure there was a darker, shadowy patch around the blonde. She grabbed what she could and rushed back to bed as fast as she could, snugly fitting under the blanket with Adora again, ramping up her purrs so the princess could still feel her presence

She passed the water to Adora ''Here'' She smiled

Adora gladly drank from the bottle, finally relaxing her sore throat. Her stomach rumbled as she gulped down the last of the water

Catra laughed as she passed her a granola bar ''I got these for you before the darkness hit, we've got cupcakes and cookies too, enough to last us''

Adora snuggled a little closer to her ''Thank you''

Catra raised an eyebrow ''For what?''

Adora yawned ''For being here, I don't think I would've survived the night without you''

Catra rolled her eyes ''Quit being a sap and eat the food already'' But her slightly louder purring seemed to suggest something different

Adora took a bite out of her food, laughing and talking with Catra as if it were a normal night. Catra felt like she was doing a pretty good job, before, Adora couldn't stand not holding her at every moment, but now she was able to disregard the dark and try not to be troubled by it. They stopped holding onto each other as Catra wiped her hands

And then she looked up and saw it

A giant looming shadow, with a reddish eye, standing behind Adora. Its body wispily flowing as it approached her

It couldn't be...

It was a shadow spy

And it was coming for Adora

''ADORA LOOK OUT!'' Catra screamed as she tried to tackle the creature

Adora yelped as she was pushed aside

The shadow twisted and twirled around Catra's ankles, trapping her on the floor as she struggled, its red eye partially illuminating the scene ''ADORA'' Catra yelled as she tried to pull it off

Adora stared at it, horrified. She was panicking, it was like her worst nightmare come to life

She froze 

She shook as stared and hyperventilated as the wispy monster tried to overpower Catra

''ADORA HELP!'' Catra cried out as it snaked around her arms, almost fully encasing her body

_This is your fault_

_she doesn't care about you_

_she's trying to use you for your strength_

''ADORA! HELP ME!'' Catra tried reaching out her hand

_You're nothing_

_You can't fight it_

_She doesn't love you_

''ADOR-'' The shadow constricted over her mouth, rendering her speechless

Adora stared at the partially illuminated scene with wide eyes

_no_

Catra's movements began to slow

_No_

The shadow slowly began to seep the life out of her

''NO''

Adora screamed as she tried to pull Catra free from the monster

She tried to use her sword to fight it but nothing worked

_Your sword can't help you here, Adora_

_You can't get rid of me  
_

Catra was losing air

_You can't save her, Adora_

_You can't protect her_

Adora cried out more and more as she tried again and again to save her

_You've only been a burden to her_

_You'll always be a burden to everyone_

_No one needs you anymore_

''NO! STOP IT!''

_She's getting hurt because of you_

This monster wasn't one she could fight off with her sword. It was her fear, her insecurities culminating into one stray monster that Adora couldn't fight. Not unless she faced those fears head on

''YOU'RE WRONG!'' She yelled

The monster suddenly shrunk. She tried to recall Catra's words

''I-I'M NOT A BURDEN!''

The creature hissed as it began to withdraw from Catra

''YOU DON'T HAVE ANY POWER LEFT OVER ME!''

She yanked it off her girlfriend and tossed it away. The monster shriveled up and burned away

''Catra!'' She yelled as the magicat began to cough. She blindly searched the floor, in the dark again until she could feel her

''Wh-what happened?'' Catra gasped. One second her vision was going dark too, and then the next she was on the floor

Adora pulled her into her arms, holding her as tightly as possible ''B-Bow was right about the monsters, h-her Shadow Spies are still here''

Catra's eyes widened a little ''Oh...'' was all she could say as she held Adora close too, all this time she'd worked on easing her fears to have it thrown in her face like that

Adora sniffled ''I-I thought I'd lost you''

''Hey, shhh, it's okay'' Catra slowly lifted her back up and guided her to the bed placing them in the same position they were in before ''You saved me...again, I guess'' She said quietly

Adora was pressed against her chest again, listening to her deep breaths, trying to follow her rhythm and calm herself

''We'll tell Sparkles about these tomorrow, kay? I'm sorry I didn't believe you'' She tried

''I didn't believe myself either'' Adora sighed

Catra planted a kiss on her forehead again ''what do you say we call it a night?'' 

Adora yawned again ''Only if you sleep too this time''

Catra smiled lazily ''Fine''

And they stayed like that until the darkness was banished and the moons finally rose

**Author's Note:**

> A/N : So I'm probably not gonna post until May cuz I have my rlly big exams going on until then. My school is kinda a mess and we've only just been informed. I plan on writing a ton during the summer but rn, I need to focus on my studies


End file.
